sourcing textile waste

28 Pages·2014·1.86 MB·English

ORGANISED by
THE ECOCHIC DESIGN AWARD
SOURCING TEXTILE WASTE
www.ecochicdesignaward.com
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What is it?
Textile waste is a material that is deemed unusable for its original purpose by the owner.
Textile waste can include fashion and textile industry waste, created during fibre, textile and
clothing production, and consumer waste, created during consumer use and disposal.
Pre-consumer textile waste is waste generated in the fashion supply chain before the textile
reached the consumer.
Textile swatch waste are leftover textile samples.
Cut-and-sew textile waste is textile scraps generated End-of-roll textile waste is factory surplus textile waste
during garment manufacturing. leftover on the textile rolls from garment manufacturing.
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Sampling yardage waste is factory surplus sample textiles Damaged textile waste is unfinished textiles that have
that have been leftover from textile sample manufacturing. been damaged, for example colour or print defects.
Clothing sample waste is part-finished or finished clothing Unsold clothing waste is clothing waste (finished or
samples from the design and production of clothing, which unfinished) that has not yet been used
have not be worn by consumers.
Post-consumer textile waste is waste generated and collected after the consumer has used
and disposed of it.
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Secondhand clothing waste is clothing or fashion Secondhand textile waste is any textile waste (such as
accessories that have been used and discarded by home furnishings or any non-clothing waste) that have
consumers. been used and discarded by consumers.
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Textile waste at a recycling station in Hong Kong.
Why do it?
Producing textiles is an environmentally damaging process. Textiles consume vast quantities of
natural resources, like water, oil and land, they use toxic chemicals and generate large amounts
of carbon dioxide. But it’s not just what we put into textile and fashion production – it is also what
comes out during the production and consumer use processes.
Unfortunately, millions of tonnes of textiles are discarded every year. In Europe and America, it
is estimated that 10 million tonnes of textiles are discarded every year.1 In China the total annual
production of pre and post-consumer textile waste is estimated to be over 20 million tonnes.2 Not
only does this textile waste pollute our environment and clog landfills around the world, but the
precious resources that went into making these textiles are wasted. The good news is that by
reusing textile waste, designers can divert textile waste away from landfill and prolong the lifecycle
of the textile material.
The exciting opportunity is that textiles are almost 100 percent recyclable and they have the potential
to meet our needs several times over. This means that we should creatively and environmentally
strive to never discard or dump textiles away – every again!
1 Recycling in textiles, Edited by Y Wang, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA, 2006
2 China Association of Resource Comprehensive Utilization, 2013
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hoW do i do it?
Sourcing textile waste can seem challenging when compared to picking up a new fabric from a
supplier, a trade fair or a store. However, sourcing textile waste is a fun and inspiring process
that will shape your final design and stretch your creativity. Don’t be afraid to look at your design
process in a new light, because when using the sustainable design techniques of up-cycling and
reconstruction, sourcing your textile waste will often be the starting point of your entire design
process.
When sourcing textile waste, look for high quality textile waste to ensure that your new design will
be durable and last long in its new wardrobe. Don’t be afraid of a hole or rip. Instead, work around
minor defects or let defects become a design feature and remember that mistakes can be beautiful
too! If you are looking for a particular fabric but don’t find the colour you want it in, you can reprint
or re-dye it to your preferred taste.
Last but not least, don’t forget to clean the textile waste to make sure that the final product is fresh
and new in the eyes and noses of the consumer.
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Johanna Ho uses her own clothing samples that
have not been ordered by customers to recon-
struct new garments.
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folloW your oWn textile Waste stream
This is the first and most important step to finding your preferred types of textile waste. As Orsola
de Castro has taught us, if you follow your own waste stream you will find what you need. Ask
yourself; Where is textile waste generated in my supply chain? How can I reuse this? How can I
get a hold of more? Which other bigger brands use my preferred type of textiles and will they have
textile waste for me?
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UK designer, Ada Zanditon up-cycles scraps Hong Kong designer and The EcoChic Design
from her own production line to give waste a new Award Hong Kong 2011 Finalist, Yuri Man used
lease of life into her collections of clothing and textiles leftover from her own production pro-
accessories. cess to create this up-cycled outfit.
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contact factories and textile mills
Contact factories and textile mills as they may have an endless supply of surplus textiles. Target
factories and textile mills that produce the specific type of material that you are looking for. If
you get in contact with the right one at the right time, this could be a goldmine of high-end textile
waste, sold at a fraction of the price due to possible irregular shapes, sizes and quantities.
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Chinese designer and The EcoChic Design Award Estonian brand, Reet Aus work with factories in
China 2012 Finalist, Lin Jia Xin sourced production Bangladesh to demonstrate the possibility of up-cy-
leftovers from a factory in China to create this up- cling large scale pre-consumer textile waste by es-
cycled outfit. tablishing the brand Trash to Trend.
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Hong Kong designer and The EcoChic Design Award 2011 Finalist, Eric Wong created this SS’14 outfit by up-cy-
cling surplus factory textiles. He works closely with a few factories to ensure a steady supply of textile waste.
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visit trade fairs and shoWrooms
Visit trade fairs and showrooms to get a better understanding of what types of textiles are available
and how to get hold of them. Speak to the exhibitors directly to see what they do with their textile
waste. Start up conversations — you may get more than you can handle!
Today there is also an increasing availability of recycled textiles, which are made by repurposing
pre-consumer and post consumer textile waste.
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mage credit: mage credit:
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The Fabric Source, set up by NICE, is a sustainable fab- Classecohub.org is a unique, multi-platform worldwide
ric library in Copenhagen with over 1,000 sustainable network that showcases sustainable textiles and
fabrics from over 30 countries. Users have the possi- materials. C.L.A.S.S. also have eco-libraries of fabrics,
bility to place orders individually or with other brands to yarns, production and finishing processes and their
gain better minimum volumes and prices. samples showrooms are located in Milan, London,
Helsinki and Madrid.
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check your textile shop
Depending on where you live, there are textile shops and markets selling end-of-roll textiles and
samples. Regardless of where you live, contact textile shops and ask them if they have any
samples available.
Sham Shui Po in Hong Kong is an incredible source for end-of-rolls, fabric swatches and textile samples. It is a regular
sourcing ground for Hong Kong and overseas designers, also coupled its proximity to China’s plentiful garment factories.
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